notation help for long score
Hi. I would like some advice/critique/help with a score I posted a couple months ago. I know the first few parts arent all that exciting and its so long that most people probably dont get past the first few minutes of it (which means that I need to do something about that, which I am).
But the main thing that I need help with is the notation of it. Im sure there are things Im missing or did wrong etc.
Of course Ill take musical advice too :)
http://www.musescore.com/danetone/babylonthegreatisfallen
Some of my favorite parts (musically) are the four horsemen, the first and second woe, the two witnesses part 2, the beast, babylon the great is fallen part 2, and then the rest of it. He hath prevailed needs to change. Thats my least favorite part.
Comments
Okay, I like what you're doing. I'm Christian too. So, I've noticed that for choir, you have only put lyrics on the Soprano part, you need to do that for all parts since you're showing them on the same staff. Also, the paper size should be changed and the staves might need to shrink a little. Some guidelines suggest to post orchestral music on at least 9.5 x 12.5 inches of paper. However, since you are including choral items, you might want to increase it to 10 x 13. However, anything greater than 11 x 14 is not really advised.
Also, several offsets need to be considered. You should move up several of your dynamic stuff etc, because they interfere with the music. I enjoy your piece.
In reply to Okay, I like what you're by Elwin
yeah the reason i did that with the lyrics is that if they were all singing the same thing i would put it on one line to save space.
But i didnt even know you could change the paper size on here. That makes a huge difference! Thank you for letting me know that!
And im glad you like it. :)
In reply to Okay, I like what you're by Elwin
I changed it to 10 x 13 and added a little space between staves and now theres plenty of room for all the vocals. I also realigned the dynamics. Im not done adding all the lyrics yet but it looks so much better already. Thank you so much for the suggestions. I also changed the He hath prevailed part so it sounds better too. I can hardly wait to get the new version up.
In reply to I changed it to 10 x 13 and by [DELETED] 1732666
Oh, and one thing, If you intend this to be able to be sung by a typical church choir (You posted this under church music), you might want to get rid of Mezzo-Soprano and Baritone. Several of the classical composers that wrote Octavos in the style that you do actually only use the 4 traditional parts, but the ranges would be set as if they were professional. Soprano C4-C6; Alto G3-F5; Tenor C3-A5; Basso: E2-E4. However, they make each part sing harder material. Also, very few groups will sing pieces that have 6 parts because most don't have choirs that big. Only huge Cathedrals, and/or colleges would be able to sing your pieces. I pretty much liked it.
I'm not trying to discourage you, I'm just bringing to light certain issues. I would write a piece like yours.
In reply to Oh, and one thing, If you by Elwin
Well Id have to completely rewrite it for a regular church choir anyway because I would have to reduce it down to piano and organ and lower the key so the tenor could take the place of the alto for the necessary three part harmonies.
But yeah thats true they did just use the four parts. I still cant figure out how Mozart got all those amazing chords in the Requiem vocals with only four parts lol. But then Im not "quite" as adept as he was lol. (Who is?)
But I see what youre saying. Maybe I will write a different version for typical church use. Thats a good idea actually. After I get this one done right of course.
In reply to Well Id have to completely by [DELETED] 1732666
There are typically some church choirs who can sing with a full orchestra accompaniment. However, most just have a piano. Also, if you're talking about mozart and his operas, he did have more than 4 parts. Also, it is possible to get great chords using just 4 parts. I could probably figure it out if you were to send me links to the amazing chords.
In reply to There are typically some by Elwin
Oh, and for some of your words, you do NOT need to divide one syllable words. you can simply notate it as is_. (add and underscore after the word). Also, make sure your syllables are correctly divided. That is one thing that is very critical in notating octavos and solos.
In reply to There are typically some by Elwin
Well I meant the Requiem in particular, in which he only had four parts. Lots of diminished and tight sounding chords that I seem to need more than four parts to accomplish. I think one of ways he did it was with good use of the tenor. It was in a lower key too which probably helped.
In reply to There are typically some by Elwin
Yeah I noticed that too. Im fixing that now. As far as proper division of multi-syllabic words, Im still not sure how to tell when theyre right or not. Maybe I could look through a hymn book or something.
In reply to Yeah I noticed that too. Im by [DELETED] 1732666
Look up "Syllable Dictionary"
In reply to Look up "Syllable Dictionary" by Elwin
Ok Ive been going and changing the lyric notations, the syllable splits and stuff, and now I have a question. At M134-5 for example, I have a two syllable word (ever) with six notes above the first syllable. The way it is now is "e-ver" with the six notes above the e with no underscore. Do I need an underscore after the e for the duration of the six notes or no?
In reply to Ok Ive been going and by [DELETED] 1732666
actually, if one syllable would be used for a series of notes, all you need to do is keep hitting -.
ok i have lyric situation taken care now. not done yet but i know what im doing with that now. now i have another question if you know or if anybody else knows. i cant figure out how to keep the vocal staves the same distance apart. theyre wider when there are lyrics and then when there arent they shrink up again which makes instrumental parts move up which would be really confusing in a printed score. is there a way to keep those staves the same distance apart the whole time?
In reply to ok i have lyric situation by [DELETED] 1732666
MuseScore will automatically incrrease the staff spacing within systems to make room for lyrics. In systems where a certain staff has no lyrics for the entire line, the program will revert to the staff-spacing you have set under STYLE>General>Page. This is automatically adjusted as line-breaks change during input and formatting.
If you want the staff spacing to remain constant throughout the entire score, you need to enter something as a lyric on every vocal line of every staff. But wait to do that until you have finished your formatting and page-makeup so you can see where any lyric-less lines of music appear. Once you've done that, click on a note somewhere in the middle of the line for staff that needs a 'spacing' lyric. Type CTL+L, and enter a single letter (whatever you like). Then exit Lyric Input mode by hitting ESC, and select that random letter by clicking on it. Type 'v' to make it invisible (or use the F8 Inspector), and you're done.